{"id":140824,"date":"2025-08-12T22:49:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T22:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/140824\/"},"modified":"2025-08-12T22:49:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T22:49:12","slug":"white-house-reviewing-smithsonian-exhibits-to-make-sure-they-align-with-trumps-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/140824\/","title":{"rendered":"White House reviewing Smithsonian exhibits to make sure they align with Trump’s vision"},"content":{"rendered":"

The White House is conducting an expansive review of the Smithsonian’s museum exhibitions<\/a>, materials and operations ahead of America\u2019s 250th anniversary to ensure they align with President Donald Trump’s view of history.<\/p>\n

The assessment, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal <\/a>and confirmed to NBC News, will include reviews of online content, internal curatorial processes, exhibition planning, the use of collections and artist grants, and wording related to museum exhibit messaging.<\/p>\n

The Smithsonian Institution includes 21 museums, 14 education and research centers and the National Zoo.<\/p>\n

News of the review was outlined in a letter<\/a> sent Tuesday to Lonnie Bunch, the institution’s secretary. White House senior associate Lindsey Halligan, Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley and White House Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought signed the letter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis initiative aims to ensure alignment with the president\u2019s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions,\u201d the letter says.<\/p>\n

It directs officials at eight museums \u2014 including the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of African American History and Culture \u2014 to turn over information about their current exhibits and plans to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary in the next 30 days.<\/p>\n

Within 120 days, museums “should begin implementing content corrections where necessary, replacing divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate, and constructive descriptions across placards, wall didactics, digital displays, and other public-facing materials,” the letter said.<\/p>\n

“Additional museums will be reviewed in Phase II,” the letter said.<\/p>\n

The review, which the letter said will include “on-site observational visits,” is aimed at making sure the museums reflect the \u201cunity, progress, and enduring values that define the American story\u201d and reflect the president\u2019s executive order <\/a>calling for \u201cRestoring Truth and Sanity to American History.\u201d<\/p>\n

That order, which was signed on March 27, calls for removing “improper ideology” from the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about preserving trust in one of our most cherished institutions,” Halligan said in a statement. “The Smithsonian museums and exhibits should be accurate, patriotic, and enlightening \u2014 ensuring they remain places of learning, wonder, and national pride for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Smithsonian said in a statement Tuesday that its work “is grounded in a deep commitment to scholarly excellence, rigorous research, and the accurate, factual presentation of history.”<\/p>\n

“We are reviewing the letter with this commitment in mind and will continue to collaborate constructively with the White House, Congress, and our governing Board of Regents,” the statement said.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe impeachment exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History on Aug. 1.Andrew Leyden \/ ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters<\/p>\n

NBC News reported in May <\/a>that historical leaders and critics were questioning why exhibits at the Smithsonian\u2019s National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall were rotating out. NBC News found that at least 32 artifacts that were once on display had been removed.<\/p>\n

Among those items were Harriet Tubman\u2019s book of hymns filled with gospel songs that she is believed to have sung as she led enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad, and the \u201cNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,\u201d the memoir by one of the most important leaders of the abolition movement.<\/p>\n

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History also recently made headlines<\/a> after it removed a placard referring to Trump from an impeachment exhibit, sparking concerns over his influence on the cultural institution. Mention of his two impeachments was restored to the exhibit after criticism of the removal.<\/p>\n

In a statement<\/a>, the Smithsonian said that the exhibit was temporarily removed because it “did not meet the museum\u2019s standards in appearance, location, timeline, and overall presentation.”<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was not consistent with other sections in the exhibit and moreover blocked the view of the objects inside its case. For these reasons, we removed the placard,” the institution said.<\/p>\n

Trump’s executive order called for changes at the museum system, charging that the \u201cSmithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology. This shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c[W]e will restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness \u2014 igniting the imagination of young minds, honoring the richness of American history and innovation, and instilling pride in the hearts of all Americans,\u201d the order said.<\/p>\n

Trump has also gotten more involved at another federally controlled D.C. institution, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He named himself the center’s chairman <\/a>and fired the bipartisan board of trustees after vowing there would be no “anti-American propaganda” at there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t need woke at the Kennedy Center,\u201d he said in February.<\/p>\n

House Republicans have moved to rename the center <\/a>the \u201cDonald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts,\u201d but the law creating the center prohibits any of the facilities from being renamed.<\/p>\n

Trump seemed to acknowledge the House effort in a post on Truth Social Tuesday.<\/p>\n

“GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP\/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS. They will be announced Wednesday,” he wrote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The White House is conducting an expansive review of the Smithsonian’s museum exhibitions, materials and operations ahead of…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":140825,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[51,50,52],"class_list":{"0":"post-140824","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-stories"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115018240760237089","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140824"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140824\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}